white model 706 tour bus for sale

• Kissimmee 2022 /

1936 White Model 706 Glacier National Park Tour Bus

Lot S132 // Saturday, January 15 th // Kissimmee 2022

Designed by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky

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Information found on the website is presented as advance information for the auction lot. Photos, materials for videos, descriptions and other information are provided by the consignor/seller and is deemed reliable, but Mecum Auction does not verify, warrant or guarantee this information. The lot and information presented at auction on the auction block supersedes any previous descriptions or information. Mecum is not responsible for information that may be changed or updated prior to the auction. The decision to purchase should be based solely on the buyers personal inspection of the lot at the auction site prior to the auction.

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1936 White Motor Company Bus

• Year of manufacture  1936
• Car type  Other
• Lot number  r0146
• Condition  Used

• Exterior colour  Red

Description

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Elkhart Collection event, 23 - 24 October 2020.

• An icon of mid-century American vacations
• Designed by the legendary Alexis de Sakhnoffsky
• Restored in period-correct Glacier National Park “Reds” livery
• Correct 318 cu. in. 16A flathead six-cylinder engine
• The ideal party wagon, with room for 17 and a sunroof!

The White Company of Cleveland, Ohio, manufactured over 500 examples of their Model 706 between 1936 and 1939 for use at America’s national parks. These mighty beasts featured roll-back canvas convertible tops over their 17-passenger interiors, accessed by no fewer than eight doors, and were handsomely styled by the noted industrial designer Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky for coachbuilders Bender of Cleveland. Some examples remain in service at various parks to this day, while others have been restored to evoke wonderful memories of family vacations long ago.

Glacier National Park’s fleet of 18 White buses, acquired at a cost of $90,000, was popularly known as the “Reds” and the drivers as “red jammers” because of the sound the unsynchronized gears of the transmission made when the driver shifted on the steep roads of the park. They were regularly used to give tours up Going-to-the-Sun Road, one of several scenic roads built at the park by the Great Northern Railroad. Today several of these buses remain in service at Glacier National Park and are still giving rides.

The Model 706 offered here is still running an original 318-cubic-inch 16A flathead six-cylinder gasoline engine and has been authentically restored in Glacier “Reds” livery with red-and-black steel wheels and comfortable tan leather bench seating within under the roll-back black canvas top. There is also a surprisingly sizable rear cargo area tucked behind the final row of seating. Inspection shows the paintwork, interior, and top fabric to all be very well restored and still in excellent overall condition, while the undercarriage shows only light wear from occasional use.

Few vehicles offer more opportunity for fun—with 16 of your friends and family, no less!To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/el20.

1937 White Model 706 Yellowstone Park Tour Bus by Bender | Hershey 2017 | RM Sotheby's

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• Originally supplied to Yellowstone National Park
• Upgraded modern drivetrain, for ease of enjoyment
• An icon of the West – and the ultimate party bus

For generations, visitors to Yellowstone National Park were chauffeured along the park’s scenic roads in massive open-air buses, produced by the White Company of Cleveland, Ohio, and operated by the privately owned Yellowstone Park Transportation Company. The last generation of these was the White 706, of which 98 were delivered between 1936 and 1938.

Constructed with a robust six-cylinder engine on an overbuilt 190-inch-wheelbase chassis, the White 706 bus was bodied by the Cleveland coachbuilders Bender, to a beautiful aerodynamic design by the famous automotive stylist, Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky. A novel feature was a large canvas-covered roof that could be completely uncovered in good weather, providing nearly panoramic views of the park for the tourists riding inside.

The bus offered here, Yellowstone Park no. 402, has been subtly modified for more user-friendly, reliable road use, including the installation of a 300-cubic inch Ford inline six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission, as well as power steering, a 1995 Ford F450 master cylinder with power brake booster, 12-volt electrical system, an electric fuel pump, and Autometer instruments. It can easily be driven on modern streets and highways, making it the ideal vehicle for transporting friends and families on special occasions. Even the largest party can go out on the town in this open-air mammoth!

Offered with charming period photographs of Yellowstone Park buses, this is sure to be the delightful centerpiece and visitor favorite of any collection that includes it. It has an amazing presence and offers more “fun per pound” than any other vehicle on offer this weekend.

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1936 White Model 706 'Yellowstone National Park' Tour Bus

• HISTORY (1)

Market Summary

The white motor company market., vehicle history, a timeline of events that we've detected for this vehicle., comparable recent listings. see related attributes next to the score..

1936 White 706 Tour Bus

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White Model 706 Yellowstone Park Tour Bus

That the White Model 706 tour bus is an eye catching design should surprise no-one. The Model 706 was designed by Ukrainian immigrant Alexis de Sakhnoffsky who had previously designed fashionable automobile coachwork in Europe before coming to the United States and creating the 1929 Cord L-29 along with other work for Auburn. Sakhnoffsky’s eye for line and form are evident in each of his designs and the White Model 706 is an excellent example of this.

The Model 706 bus was purpose designed as a tour bus for North American national parks complete with removable canvas roof and large capacity rear trunk to carry blankets for tourists wanting to enjoy the panoramic views the open top offers in cold weather.

The White Model 706, in typical thirties truck style, featured a crash gearbox requiring the driver to be able to do a skillful double de-clutch gear change. If a driver has not mastered the art of the double de-clutch then there will be a noticeable clunk in changing a non synchromesh gear. This is said to have led to the Model 706’s being dubbed “ Gear Jammers ” although it may also be because truck drivers of the period were commonly referred to as “ gear jammers ” and you needed a skilled driver to master a Model 706 transmission.

The White Model 706 tour bus model was created during the mid 1930’s and had to be made to negotiate the unmade roads that wound their way through parks like Yellowstone. Back in the thirties not everyone had a car, even in the United States, and not many car owners wanted to risk their car on those rough unmade roads. Alexis de Sakhnoffsky designed the Model 706 with this in mind. He had been an army officer before escaping the Bolshevik revolution and had first hand experience of what would be needed in a vehicle for use in rough conditions.

The White Model 706 buses were built to last and a good number of them still survive in working order. Most of the operational buses still in service have had significant modernization work done on them including replacement of the engine and transmission, and upgrading the brakes. The ex Yellowstone National Park bus in our pictures has been modernized with the installation of a 300-cubic inch Ford in-line six-cylinder engine, automatic transmission, power steering, a 1995 Ford F450 master cylinder with power brake booster, 12-volt electrical system, an electric fuel pump, and Autometer instrumentation. This has turned the old bus into an easy to drive and much safer vehicle able to be used on public highways as well as in park environments.

Having been given minimalist modernization this vehicle manages to both retain its thirties historical charm but still be a serviceable bus that could probably be used commercially. The bus seats fourteen passengers and is fitted with seat-belts for driver and occupant safety.

This 1937 White Model 706 tour bus is coming up for sale by RM Sotheby’s at their Hershey auction to be held from October 5th-6th, 2017, with this bus being offered on October 5th.

You will find the sale page for this bus if you click here .

The bus is expected to sell in the range USD$30,000 – $40,000.

The White Model 706 tour bus earned itself a place in the history of North America’s national parks and, as modernized, this bus looks set to keep providing enjoyment into the foreseeable future.

( Photo Credit: Greg Keysar ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s, except for last image ).

Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.

Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.

Jon C. Branch

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1939 White Model 706 Yellowstone Bus Find

This old 16 passenger coach is listed here on Hemmings  for $75,000. It was used as a ski bus beginning in 1991. It needs some rust repair, but otherwise appears in pretty good condition. In the early years of the national parks, most visitors saw the parks from wagons and then from tour buses. The White model 307 was designed for touring national parks. In 1935 the National Park Service held a competition in Yosemite among four bus companies. The White with it’s 318 CID flathead six won. They are called jammers because without syncros, even with deft double clutching they make quite a racket jamming it into gear. Drivers were known as “Gear Jammers”. These coaches have a long history in Yellowstone and in Glacier National Park. There were still a few running in Yellowstone when I worked there in the late sixties. Following one up a hill took a little patience, but often you were following a rolling party with the tour guide’s amusing patter and the tourist folks standing up and having a grand old time.

Although they look mostly original, besides being painted green, this one was converted to a V8 automatic and had various safety updates like the big ugly tail lights and mirrors. One group of coaches was used in Skway, Alaska for tours. Those were brought back to Yellowstone in 1991 after having their bodies mounted on Ford truck chassis.

This is how the coaches appeared in their original form. The canvas top was rolled back on nice days giving the passengers a great view! They carried a good supply of warm blankets in the rear compartment for chilly days. I hope someone finds a fun use for this old coach. It would make a unique limo!

Having lived outside (and in) the park for three years,I remember these quite well in the original gawd-awful YP Co yellow. The bottom picture appears a bit more yellow than I recall. I’d get caught behind them traveling the upper and lower loop.

Well, 1st of all, nice bus. It would be nice to see some engine and underside shots, as it appears to have very little “White” mechanics left on it. Even the dash looks modern, and that’s ok, but these had such nice original dashboards. Late model steering column ( and presumably box) are welcome additions, for sure. To be clear, I don’t think “jammer I” refer’s to gear jammers. A non-syncro trans ( still around today in semi’s) is not that hard to master, and if you clash a gear, I feel, you shouldn’t be in a truck. Years ago, we were called “gear jammers”, but it was more of a figure of speech, and not literally ” jamming it into a gear”. ( which happens to be the kiss of death for a non-synchro transmission)

My dad drove truck for 40 years and said about the same thing. Be safe.

Hi Howard. I read an article in Diesel Progress Magazine some years ago detailing the refurbishment of some of those old buses. It was a complete chassis provided by Ford. I believe a 460 (I’ll have to find the article) V8 run on propane. I can understand why they might want to do that, just to make them safer and more reliable. Parts to keep the original chassis/powertrains were getting harder to get, as well as drivers who could actually DRIVE them. It was still a sad note for me because for most of my life, I saw them in Glacier Park, Yellowstone Park, and places in between. I even recall seeing them on the GOING TO THE SUN ROAD (often called Logan Pass), between East and West Glacier. I might add that the drivers back then didn’t have any problems negotiating the roads above those drop-offs with the old flathead six and Crashbox. The roar of those engines and the distinctive whine of the transmissions was as commonplace in those resorts as the buses themselves…

That’s how I remember the term “gear jammer”, a reference to truck drivers. It could be different for these “want to be” truck drivers on these old things though.

These are still used in Glacier Nat’l Park, but the bodies were all remounted on Ford heavy duty van chassis. See http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/top-1930s-White-Glacier-National-Park-Red-Bus.htm

Key changes made to the Red Buses include:

Powertrain/Fuel System – The original carbureted gasoline engine was removed and replaced with a new fuel-injected 5.4L bi-fuel engine, capable of running on either gasoline or LPG (propane). An all-new exhaust system also was provided. Chassis – The original chassis was removed and replaced with an E-450 chassis modified to fit the Red Bus body. Brakes – The brake system was replaced with a production 4-wheel disc ABS system. Windows and Lights – All windows were replaced with safety glass and external lights were replaced or repaired and brought up to current standards.

I think what you mean is that Ford built a rolling chassis with the powertrain, brakes and suspension as a complete integrated system. Then they installed the restored bus bodies after they were separated from the original White chassis. The Econoline platform has long been the basis for motorhomes, class C and class A’s. Class C’s are the ones which use the front clip from Econolines, The class A’s come with their own unique front ends, so essentially these are class A’s adapted to accept the White bus body shell’s.

wow subscribing to learn more.

From my experiences with Glacier’s red buses using the original White mechanicals, there wasn’t much you would want to keep. Poor brakes, little power, unreliable. I have ridden with my kids in the buses after the conversion, and found them to retain the charm with a modicum of safety.

I drove these buses in Glacier N.P. In 2001 while the buses were being restored the fleet consisted of white Dodge vans. The end of that season was screwed up by 9-11. By the next summer I had developed a diecast scale replica of both the Glacier Red Bus and the Yellowstone bus. We sold 5000 units through gift shops in 2002. In around 2004 a land development company was putting together a big deal in Utah and bought a couple of real Yellowstone buses to have refurbished. They commissioned a special production run of our 1:48 replicas with the same livery as the 2 real buses. I still have a few from an overrun. They are dead ringers for the bus in the picture except that they have authentic tail lights and mirrors. I believe the land development went bust then reorganized. Our replicas are authentic down to having a gearshift and pedals. Even the tire treads are replicas of the original tires. Now, about the word “Jammer”, currently the word describes either the vehicle or the driver. Its meaning also extends to former drivers. We are among a brotherhood of members of the oldest continually operated driving team in the world. The end. Breakfast is getting cold. Duane Brassette Lake Charles, LA

thanks for that very interesting

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Product Key Features

• Gender Boys & Girls
• Year of Manufacture 2002
• Vehicle Type Bus
• Color White
• Age Level 12-16 Years, 8-11 Years, 17 Years & Up
• Vehicle Year 1936
• Character Family Cars
• Recommended Age Range 8+
• Features Advertising Specimen, Unopened Box, Limited Edition
• Material Diecast